Thermally insulated collapsible cup for hot or cold beverages

ABSTRACT

A thermally insulated collapsible cup for hot or cold beverages. The collapsible cup includes a flexible inner liner and a multi-segmented outer shell including a top segment, a base segment, and one or more intermediate segments. Each segment of the outer shell includes an insulation layer adhered thereto. An integral rubber sleeve extends around the periphery of each intermediate segment. The flexible inner liner extends from the top to the bottom of the collapsible cup and is secured and sealed at the bottom of the base segment and at the rim of the top segment. In an expanded configuration, internal screw threads at the bottom of the top and intermediate segments engage external screw threads on the adjacent segment there below and thereby maintain the cup in an expanded configuration. The screw threads can be unscrewed in order to convert the cup to a collapsed configuration.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to containers and particularly to a aninsulated drinking container for hot or cold drinks that includes arigid outer shell and a flexible inner liner that enables the containerto be folded or collapsed when not in use to enable more efficientstorage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Hot beverages, such as coffee or tea, are consumed by people on a dailybasis. Many people frequently visit convenience stores or specialtycoffee shops in order to obtain their favorite hot beverage. Althoughthese stores provide disposable cups for the hot beverages, many of themsell their hot beverages at a lower price if the customer provides theirown container. Thus many regular coffee drinkers carry their own hotbeverage containers into the store in order to obtain their drink at alower price. After being filled, many hot drink containers are carriedinto the workplace or the home where they are then stored and used inthose locations. Over a period of time, a large number of hot drinkcontainers tend to accumulate in the home or the office.

One problem that arises with the accumulation of a large number of hotdrink containers is the large amount of space that is required to storethe containers. In current times, many of these hot drink containers arequite a large size and require a significant amount of shelf spaceduring storage.

It would therefore be beneficial to reduce the amount of shelf spacetaken up by hot or cold beverage containers. Although collapsiblecontainers have been proposed in the prior art, many are for dry foodstorage items such as powders and others do not include the ability tothermally insulate the materials held within.

Thus, what is needed is a drink container that will keep hot beverageshot and cold beverages cold while in use and that also can be reduced insize to conserve shelf space when not in use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, there is provided a thermallyinsulated collapsible cup for hot or cold beverages. The thermallyinsulated collapsible cup includes a flexible inner liner and amulti-segmented outer shell including a top segment, a base segment, andone or more intermediate segments. Each segment of the outer shellincludes an insulation layer adhered thereto. An integral rubber sleeveextends around the periphery of each intermediate segment. The flexibleinner liner extends from the top to the bottom of the collapsible cupand is secured and sealed at the bottom of the base segment and at therim of the top segment. In an expanded configuration, internal screwthreads at the bottom of the top and intermediate segments engageexternal screw threads on the adjacent segment there below and therebyhold the cup in an expanded configuration. The screw threads can beunscrewed in order to place the cup in a collapsed configuration. Theflexible liner is a liquid-tight inner liner that holds liquid thereinin both the collapsed and expanded configurations. The insulation layersin each segment thermally insulate any liquid within the liner,maintaining the temperature of hot liquids or cold liquids within theinner liner and mitigating heat transfer to the outer shell therebyprotecting the hands of a user while operating the cup.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

Several advantages are achieved with the thermally insulated collapsiblecup of the present invention, including:

-   -   (1) The collapsible cup of the present invention is thermally        insulated, thereby maintaining hot liquids or cold liquids at        the desired temperature.    -   (2) The collapsible cup of the present invention can be folded        into a significantly smaller size for storage thereby greatly        reducing the amount of required storage space.    -   (3) The collapsible cup of the present invention maintains its        shape when expanded to its unfolded state.    -   (4) As the liner is molded in one-piece, the collapsible cup of        the present invention is capable of supporting liquids in both        the collapsed and expanded configurations.    -   (5) The collapsible cup includes rubber sleeves for providing        proper friction for the hand and for controlling the speed at        which the cup converts from the collapsed to the expanded        configuration.    -   (6) A screw thread locking mechanism prevents unintentional        collapsing of the cup.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will bebetter understood by reading the following description along withreference to the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of a thermally insulatedcollapsible cup in its expanded configuration according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the collapsible cup of FIG. 1 after it has beenfolded or collapsed into a compact size for storage.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the collapsible cup of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the collapsible cup taken along line 4-4of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a detailed view of the left hand side of the top segment ofthe collapsible cup of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a detailed view of the left hand side of the bottom segment ofthe collapsible cup of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the collapsible cup in the collapsedconfiguration of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the collapsible cup taken along line 8-8of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a top view of the collapsible cup including a lid secured tothe top of the cup.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the collapsible cup taken along line10-10 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a side view of two collapsible cups according to the presentinvention each in the collapsed configuration and stacked upon oneanother for storage.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the bottom portion of a collapsible cupaccording to the present invention depicting an alternative arrangementfor anchoring the inner liner to the base outer shell segment.

TABLE OF NOMENCLATURE

The following is a listing of part numbers used in the drawings alongwith a brief description:

Part Number Description 20 collapsible cup 22 base outer shell segment24 top outer shell segment 26 intermediate outer shell segment 28tubular sleeve 30 interior volume 32 rim of top segment 34 inner side ofouter shell segment 36 outer side of outer shell segment 38 top of rigidouter shell segment 40 bottom of rigid outer shell segment 42 tubularinsulating layer 44 flexible inner liner 46 base portion of inner liner48 screw threads at bottom of outer shell segment 50 screw threads attop of outer shell segment 52 inturned wall portion 54 outer periphery56 peripheral flange of top outer shell segment 58 top portion of liner60 peripheral groove 61 throat of liner 62 screw threads in throat 63inner periphery of base segment 64 peripheral flange on base segment 66peripheral groove in base portion of liner 68 inner periphery of sleeve70 screw threads on sleeve 72 inward extending lower leg of sleeve 74lid 76 hinge 78 flip up cover 80 outer periphery of tubular sleeve 82indent in sleeve 84 closed bottom of base segment 86 pin

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to a first and preferred embodiment in FIG. 1, thepresent invention is a thermally insulated collapsible cup 20. Thecollapsible cup 20, depicted in its expanded configuration in FIG. 1,includes a plurality of rigid interlocking tubular outer shell segmentsincluding a base segment 22, a top segment 24, and one or moreintermediate segments 26. The collapsible cup 20 includes a tubularsleeve 28 secured around the lower outer periphery of each intermediatesegment 26.

As shown in FIG. 2, the collapsible cup 20 can be folded or collapsedinto a collapsed configuration wherein the top segment 24 is collapsedaround the outer peripheries of the intermediate segments 26 and basesegment 22 in which collapsed configuration the tubular sleeves 28 arein contact with one another. The collapsible cup 20 is liquid-tight inboth the expanded and collapsed configurations and is thermallyinsulated thus maintaining the temperature of liquids within the cup.Thus, with reference to FIG. 3, the interior volume 30 of the insulatedcollapsible cup 20 will keep hot liquids hot or cold liquids cold for asubstantial amount of time.

Referring to the sectional view of the collapsible cup 20 in theexpanded configuration in FIG. 4, the top outer shell segment 24includes a rim 32 and each interlocking outer shell segment 22, 24, and26 includes an inner side 34, an outer side 36, a top 38 and a bottom40. A tubular insulating layer 42 is provided on the inner side 34 ofeach of the outer shell segments 22, 24, and 26. The collapsible cup 20further includes a flexible inner liner 44 that extends from the rim 32to the bottom 40 of the base segment 22. The entire flexible inner liner44 including a thick base portion 46 is molded in one piece of foodgrade silicone rubber, which is approved by the FDA for direct foodcontact. Thus the inner liner 44 forms a continuous liquid-tight lineraround the entire inner periphery of the collapsible cup 20.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the top segment 24 and intermediatesegments 26 each include screw threads 48 on the outer sides 36 at thebottom 40 of the outer shell segment and the base segment 22 andintermediate segments 26 each include complementary screw threads 50 onthe outer sides 36 at the top 38 of the adjacent outer shell segment.Thus screw threads 48 at the bottom 40 of a rigid outer shell segment 24and 26 can be threaded onto complementary screw threads 50 of theadjacent segment 22 and 26 there below in order to lock the respectiverigid segments with respect to one another and thereby lock thecollapsible cup 20 into the expanded configuration.

With reference to FIG. 5, the top outer shell segment 24 includes aninturned wall portion 52 adjacent the rim 32. The inturned wall portion52 includes an outer periphery 54 and a peripheral flange 56 extendingoutward from the outer periphery 54 of the inturned wall portion 52. Theone-piece molded flexible inner liner 44 includes a top portion 58 witha peripheral groove 60 therein extending around its outer periphery. Theperipheral flange 56 of the top outer shell segment 24 extends into theperipheral groove 60 of the top portion 58 of the inner liner 44 therebysecuring the top portion 58 of the inner liner 44 to the top outer shellsegment 24. The inner liner 44, being constructed of soft siliconerubber, seals around the rim 32 of the top outer shell segment 24.Preferably, the inner liner 44, constructed of food grade siliconerubber, has a Shore A hardness rating of 0. As shown in FIG. 5, the topportion 58 of the inner liner 44 wraps around the entire top of the topouter shell segment 24 including the rim 32. The top portion 58 of theliner 44 includes a throat 61 and may include screw threads 62 in thethroat 61.

Referring to FIG. 6, the bottom 40 of the base outer shell segment 22includes an inner periphery 63 and a peripheral flange 64 extendinginward from the inner periphery 63. The base portion 46 of the flexibleinner liner 44 further includes a peripheral groove 66 therein. Theperipheral flange 64 of the base outer shell segment 22 extends into theperipheral groove 66 of the inner liner base portion 46 thereby securingthe liner base portion 46 to the base outer shell segment 22. As thebase portion 46 of the liner 44 is an integral portion of the one-piecemolded liner 44, the collapsible cup 20 will be liquid-tight at thebottom of the cup.

As further shown in FIG. 6, each tubular sleeve 28 includes an innerperiphery 68 and screw threads 70 on its inner periphery 68. The screwthreads 70 of the tubular sleeve 28 engage the screw threads 50 at thetop 38 of each intermediate outer shell segment 26 thereby locking thetubular sleeves 28 to the intermediate outer shell segments 26. Thetubular sleeves 28 further include an inward extending lower leg 72 thatis in contact with the outer side 36 of the outer shell segments 22 and26. The lower legs 72 of each sleeve 28 provides friction against therespective outer shell segment 22 and 26 that it is in contact with andthus controls the rate of expansion of the collapsible cup when expandedfrom the collapsed configuration, as shown in FIG. 8, to the expandedconfiguration as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. Preferably, the integraltubular sleeves 28 are constructed of silicone rubber.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the collapsible cup 20 may further includea lid 74 threaded into the screw threads 62 in the throat 61 of theflexible inner liner 44. The lid 74 in FIGS. 9-10 includes a hinge 76and a flip up cover 78 pivotally attached and rotatable within the hinge76 to provide access to the chink stored within the collapsible cup 20.Although one specific embodiment of a lid 74 is shown herein, otherconventional lids are within the scope of the invention for use with thecollapsible cup 20 including lids with sliding covers, pop up nozzles,holes with tubes extending there through, and snap on lids rather thanlids with screw threads.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tubular outer shell segments 22, 24, and 26 of acollapsible cup 20 according to the present invention are of steadilydecreasing diameter from the top outer shell segment 24 to the baseouter shell segment 22. Thus, as shown in FIG. 4, in the expandedconfiguration when each outer shell segment is turned counterclockwisewith respect to the next lower segment, screw thread 48 on the bottom ofthe segment will disengage from screw thread 50 on the top of the nextlower segment and the collapsible cup 20 will fold to the collapsedconfiguration as shown in FIG. 8.

With reference to FIG. 8, the inward extending lower legs 72 of thetubular sleeves 28 will exert friction on the base segment 22 and thesleeve 28 it is in contact with and function to hold the cup in thecollapsed configuration. The cup in the collapsed configuration includesthe base outer shell segment 22 nested within the intermediate outershell segments 26 and the intermediate segments 26 within the top outershell segment 24. Flexible inner liner 44, being molded in one-piece ofrubber and secured tightly at the top rim 32 and to the peripheralflange 64 on the base outer shell segment 22, is liquid-tight in boththe expanded and collapsed configuration. The entire inner volume 30 ofthe collapsible cup 20 is bound by the inner liner 44.

As shown in FIG. 8, the integral sleeves 28 of the collapsible cup 20include an outer periphery 80 and an indent 82 in the outer periphery80. The indent 82 functions to hold the collapsible cup is in thecollapsed configuration. As the top 24 and intermediate 26 segments arecollapsed toward the base segment 22, the inward extending lower legs 72of the upper sleeves 28 engage the indents 82 of the lower adjacentsleeve and stop the collapse of the outer shell segments.

With reference to FIG. 4, each of the tubular insulating layers 42 arepreferably secured to the outer shell segments 22, 24, and 26 withadhesive. The tubular outer shell segments 22, 24, and 26 are preferablyconstructed of metal or plastic. The tubular insulating layers 42 arepreferably constructed of polyurethane.

As shown in FIG. 11, a significant advantage realized with thecollapsible cup 20 of the present invention is that two or more cups canbe stacked in order to save shelf space. In FIG. 11, two collapsiblecups 20 according to the present invention are depicted in the collapsedconfiguration and stacked one upon another for storage.

With reference to FIG. 12 there is shown an alternative arrangement foranchoring the flexible inner liner 44 to the base outer shell segment22. In the alternative embodiment of the collapsible cup the basesegment 22 includes a closed bottom 84 and an integral pin 86 extendingfrom the bottom. The flexible inner liner 44 is molded in one piece withan opening in the base portion 46 of the inner liner 44 to accommodatethe pin 86. The flexible inner liner 44 is secured to the base segment22 by placing base portion 46 over pin 86. With pin 86 secured withinthe base portion 46 of the liner 44, the flexible inner liner 44 of thecollapsible cup can rotate about pin 86 and also remain liquid-tight.

As the invention has been described, it will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that the same may be varied in many ways withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. Any and all suchmodifications are intended to be included within the scope of theappended claims.

1. A collapsible cup comprising: a plurality of rigid interlocking tubular outer shell segments, said outer shell segments including an inner side and an outer side; said outer shell segments including a base segment, a top segment, and one or more intermediate segments with said base segment including a bottom, said top segment including a rim, and said intermediate segments including a lower outer periphery; a flexible inner liner secured to said rim of said top segment and extending there from to said bottom of said base segment; a tubular insulating layer on said inner sides of each of said outer shell segments; a tubular integral sleeve secured around said lower outer periphery of each of said intermediate outer shell segments; and screw threads on each of said each of said outer shell segments, said screw threads for engaging complementary screw threads on the adjacent segment there below and holding said collapsible cup in an expanded configuration.
 2. The collapsible cup of claim 1 wherein said top segment of said outer shell includes an inturned wall portion adjacent said rim, said inturned wall portion including an outer periphery; and a peripheral flange extending outward from said outer periphery of said inturned wall portion.
 3. The collapsible cup of claim 2 wherein said inner liner includes a top portion with a peripheral groove therein; and said peripheral flange of said top segment extends into said peripheral groove of said top portion of said inner liner thereby securing said top portion of said liner to said top segment of said outer shell.
 4. The collapsible cup of claim 1 wherein said bottom of said base segment of said outer shell includes an inner periphery; and a peripheral flange extending inward from said inner periphery of said base segment.
 5. The collapsible cup of claim 4 wherein said inner liner includes a base portion with a peripheral groove therein; and said peripheral flange of said base segment extends into said peripheral groove of said base portion of said inner liner thereby securing said base portion of said liner to said base segment of said outer shell.
 6. The collapsible cup of claim 1 wherein said integral sleeves include an inner periphery and screw threads on said inner periphery; and said screw threads of said integral sleeves engaging said screw threads on said top of said intermediate segments.
 7. The collapsible cup of claim 1 wherein each of said tubular insulating layers are secured to said outer shell segments with adhesive.
 8. The collapsible cup of claim 1 wherein said tubular outer shell segments are constructed of materials selected from the group including metal and plastic.
 9. The collapsible cup of claim 1 wherein said tubular insulating layers are constructed of polyurethane.
 10. The collapsible cup of claim 1 wherein said flexible inner liner is constructed of silicone rubber.
 11. The collapsible cup of claim 10 wherein said silicone rubber includes a Shore A hardness of
 0. 12. The collapsible cup of claim 11 wherein said silicone rubber is a food grade or FDA approved silicone rubber.
 13. The collapsible cup of claim 3 wherein said top portion of said inner liner includes a throat and screw threads on said throat; and a lid threaded into said screw threads of said throat of said inner liner.
 14. The collapsible cup of claim 1 wherein said lid includes a hinge thereon; and a flip up cover pivotally attached to and rotatable about said hinge.
 15. The collapsible cup of claim 1 wherein said integral sleeves include an inward extending lower leg; and said inward extending lower leg is in contact with said outer side of said outer shell segments, whereby said lower legs of said integral sleeves provides friction against said outer shell segments for controlling the rate of expansion of said collapsible cup from the collapsed configuration.
 16. The collapsible cup of claim 1 wherein said integral sleeves are constructed of silicone rubber.
 17. The collapsible cup of claim 1 wherein said tubular outer shell segments are of steadily decreasing diameter from said top segment to said base segment.
 18. The collapsible cup of claim 1 wherein said cup in said collapsed configuration includes said base segment within said intermediate segments and said intermediate segments within said top segment.
 19. The collapsible cup of claim 1 wherein said collapsible cup includes an inner volume; the entire inner volume of said collapsible cup is bound by said inner liner; and said inner liner is constructed of food grade or FDA approved silicone rubber.
 20. The collapsible cup of claim 15 wherein said integral sleeves include an outer periphery; and said outer periphery of said sleeves includes an indent therein. 